Following the successful first workshop on Pliocene climate in Bordeaux in 2009, the second workshop on Pliocene climate was held in Bristol (UK) on Monday 9 - Tuesday 10 September 2013.  The workshop brought together 80 international scientists from the proxy data and modelling communities to identify the most pressing research questions for the international Pliocene community and to identify gaps in our current understanding of this crucial interval.

The Pliocene epoch was the last sustained interval when global climate was significantly warmer than today. As such it is considered a good potential analogue for the conditions predicted for the end of this century due to anthropogenic climate change. However, the precise dynamics of the climate system as well as the causes of the termination of the Pliocene warmth and the onset of Quaternary climate are still poorly understood.

 

Research themes at the workshop included:

• Resolving forcing mechanisms of Pliocene warmth
• The relationship between changes in mean state and variability
• Linking physical and biogeochemical dynamics during the Pliocene
• Continental climate during the Pliocene
• Lessons from the Pliocene - what have we learned about future climate change?

Scientific rationale (PDF, 263kB) [PDF, 264 KB]

Workshop programme (PDF, 475kB) [PDF, 476 KB]

Poster programme (PDF, 89kB) [PDF, 90 KB]

Workshop abstracts (PDF, 4,852kB) [PDF, 4.7 MB]

Pliocene workshop poster (PDF, 4,476kB) [PDF, 4.4 MB]

Attendee list (PDF, 45kB) [PDF, 46 KB]

Location

This conference was hosted by the University of Bristol and held at The Clifton Pavilion, Bristol Zoo Gardens.  The workshop was scheduled to take place following ICP 11 in Barcelona that will take place in the first week of September 2013.

Conveners

Dr B.D.A. Naafs (University of Bristol)

Dr M.P.S. Badger (University of Bristol)

Dr N. Khélifi (GEOMAR Kiel)

Scientific committee

Prof. G.H. Haug (ETH Zürich)

Prof. A.C. Ravelo (University of California)

Prof. A.M. Haywood (University of Leeds)

Dr D.J. Lunt (University of Bristol)

This event is supported by The Leverhulme Trust , the European Research Council, the Cabot Institute and the Global Change research group at the University of Bristol.

Please contact pliocence-workshop@bristol.ac.uk if you have any enquiries.